The New Rider
by shadowhuntress12606
Summary: It has been fifty years since the fall of Galbatorix. Three Rider eggs have hatched for an dwarf, an Urgal, and an elf, but all have been killed almost is considered a death sentence to have an egg hatch for you among the peoples of Alagaesia. Then suddenly, a young girl rises up out of their midst with her silver dragon as the new rider. Is she the one?
1. Prologue

Prologue

Eragon stared out of the window, thinking to himself. Saphira, now the size of a small house, was curled up on a cushioned dais outside on the balcony, her blue scales sparkling in the moonlight.

It had been nearly sixty years since the fall of Galbatorix. After he had left Alagaёsia with his elven companions, he had traveled down the Edda River for many months, searching for the best place to raise the unhatched dragons and to train the new Riders-to-be. Eventually, after a long period of time, he had found a vast, closed-off valley in a small mountain range which he had named Du Fells Wyrda, or The Mountains of Fate. He had named them this because they were to be the place where the Riders were to be resurrected.

After discovering Du Fells Wyrda, Eragon, the elves, and Saphira had begun constructing the small city that was to be the heart of the new Riders. They had built it in a similar way to Doru Araeba, making each building large enough to fit several dragons comfortably. As a result, though the city itself did not contain many buildings, the buildings themselves were vast. Elves and humans had come from all over Alagaёsia to donate to the library and to study there, giving the small city a bustling, vibrant feel despite the lack of the very thing it had been built for: Riders and their dragons. Many of the wild dragon eggs had hatched, allowing the race of dragons to start growing again, but not a single one of the eggs set to be bonded with Riders that Eragon had left behind had hatched yet.

Despite the recent completion of the city, dubbed Dras Islingr, City of Light, Eragon was sorrowful. His cousin Roran, who he had grown up with and who had been like a brother to him, had just died, his wife Katrina passing just a few days later, leaving their three children Ismira, Dirda, and Tethang devastated. Queen Nasuada herself had contacted Eragon after Roran had died, for he had been a great war hero and the Earl of Palancar Valley, as well as being Eragon's cousin. Nasuada was also aging, her once black hair pure white, her dark skin wrinkled and spotted.

 _One of the difficult things about being a virtually immortal Rider is watching everyone you love grow old and die_ , Eragon told Saphira, who was dozing restlessly. She simply acknowledged him through their mental like and continued to daydream about deer. Eragon chuckled to himself and thought, _now all I have to do is wait. The new Rider will come eventually._

 _All I have to do is wait._


	2. The New Rider

Chapter One

Kella stood in front of the small looking glass. Her mother had been fussing over her all morning, doing her hair and straightening her dress. It had irritated Kella beyond extent, but she had put up with it because she had known how much this would mean to her mother. Today, a dragon egg was to come to her city, Dras Leona, for children to be paraded past it. If the egg hatched, the child would become the new Rider, and would be sent far away to Du Fells Wyrda to train with Eragon Shadeslayer, one of the only two Riders now alive. The other was the elf queen Arya, who had slain the evil king Galbatorix's black dragon, Shruikan.

Years ago, three dragon eggs hatched in succession, one for a dwarf, the second for an Urgal, and the last for an elf, but they had all been killed by mysterious assassins a few weeks after the dragon had hatched. Now, almost no one wanted a dragon to hatch for them. It was a death sentence.

Sighing, Kella tugged on her carrot-colored braid, and turned away from the mirror. "Kella! We're leaving!" her mother called from the tiny kitchen.

"Yes, mother," Kella called back, and tied on her crisp white apron. Satisfied, she climbed down the attic ladder and joined her mother and younger sister Ilara as they walked to the center of Dras Leona down wide, cobbled streets filled with people. Since she highly doubted that a dragon egg was going to hatch for her, Kella merely wanted to go in order to see a real elf, one of the elves fabled to be guarding the dragon egg.

The crowd thickened as they neared the center of the city, pushing and shoving as they tried to get closer to the famed dragon egg. Kella wished her father, Laron, was here to see it, but he had died three years ago, in the small army that had been sent to calm a rebellion in Teirm.

At long last, they got in line to touch the egg, the two girls' mother telling Ilara to stay close to Kella, then wishing them luck. Soon, she disappeared into the crowd, leaving the two girls by themselves.

"What color do you think it is?" Ilara piped up as the line moved slowly forward. She was only eight, and curious about everything. Ignoring her, Kella craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the egg's guard. Catching sight of one, her heart sank. The guards were two dwarves, two Urgals, and two humans. Not an elf was in sight.

Finally, the girls neared the head of the long line of children, and were so able to see the egg. It was large and oval-shaped, smooth like it had been polished. It was around the size of Kella's head, and a beautiful silver color, with veins of lighter gray webbed through it. It was resting in a cushioned bowl-like case, on a raised dais.

Kella watched as a girl around her own age walked up slowly to the dais. Her golden hair was braided elegantly, and her dress was made on a lovely, sky-blue silk. _It must be Sadra, the governor's daughter_ , Kella thought to herself. Sadra climbed the steps up to the egg, and laid a trembling hand on the smooth egg. Nothing happened. Looking rather relieved, Sadra ran back into the crowd, disappearing from sight.

Soon it was Ilara's turn to try the egg. Darting through the crowd, she ran up to the dais, then gently rested her small hand on the egg. The crowd held its breath, but nothing happened. Looking disappointed, she trudged back through the crowd to find her mother.

Now it was Kella's turn. Trying to look dignified, she walked slowly and steadily up the steps until she was level with the egg. Taking a deep breath, she rested her hand on the smooth, mirror-like surface. Her own nervous face looked back at her. Nothing happened.

Turning away, she began to walk back down the steps, but stopped in her tracks as she heard a noise behind her.

 _Squeak._

The crowd gasped as she turned back around. The egg was shaking, and fracture lines appeared throughout the smooth surface.

 _It was hatching_.

A small piece of the egg fell away, right where all the cracks met, revealing a small head. Another piece came off, revealing a moon-like silvery-grey eye, then the entire egg broke into pieces, revealing a silver dragon.

The baby dragon was about the size of a puppy, with big grey eyes and silver scales that matched the egg on its back and head, small but still noble. The scales on its underside were a lighter grey, almost white. White spikes started at the base of the dragon's head, and ran down its back and tail. It yawned, revealing small, sharp white teeth, and unfurled its wings that were twice as long as the dragon's body, still wet and covered in the membrane that had encased it. Then it looked right at Kella.

Nervously, she reached out and laid her right hand on the dragon's head. Suddenly, her world was taken over by ice streaking up her am and into her veins and her skull. She barely felt herself crumple to the dais floor as she tried to hold in a scream. The pain was intense, leaving her cold and shivering. She couldn't move or speak. Then, it was over, and the feeling slowly tingled back into her numb limbs.

Feeling dazed, she opened her eyes, then weakly raised her right hand to her face. Her heart bead wildly. Her palm had turned silvery-white, and it shone in the afternoon sunlight, itching badly. She felt something touch her consciousness, like a piece of silk trailing across it. It touched her again, but this time it held on to her mind, creating a firm tendril of thought through which she could feel curiosity and love. Suddenly, it felt as if barriers around Kella's mind had been torn down, and she could feel everyone's minds around her, most of them excited, some of them scared. The freedom scared her, and she curled her consciousness into a tight ball. Her new awareness vanished, as if she had closed her eyes. She eyed the little dragon suspiciously.

Cautiously, she reached out her mind to towards the dragon. This time, she felt a ravenous hunger instead of curiosity. Her hands shaking, she slowly scooped up the silver dragon and held it close to her body. It immediately snuggled up to her, its breath warm on her chest. Then it struck Kella:

 _I AM A RIDER!_


End file.
